Bianca didn't need an invitation; she already wanted to test her might against the captain. His strength would surely put her own to the test. She waved off Alphyne who took a few steps back to give the combatants enough space to duel. With her out of danger Bianca charged in with greater speed than most people had ever been able to witness. Even Alphyne had trouble tracking her in the state she was in, but Captain Leon had no issue. Even in her half-wolf form he was still able to keep up with her speed.
When she swung a clawed strike at his head he easily deflected the strike with his sword. The metal rang against Bianca's claws with a sound that made those in attendance wonder if the blade might break. Captain Leon didn't wait for it to do so, and instead leapt back a short distance in order to level his sword with Bianca's abdomen and made an attempt to pierce her with another hop forward.
Bianca batted away the sword with her right claws, but took note of the man's speed. She was having to exert herself in order to keep up with it, and that didn't bode well. She had only been practicing in her hybrid form for two years, and she wasn't sure if she could do much better than she was at the moment. Despite this, she pressed a new attack. She took hold of the captain's sword in her paw and tried to pull him in for a swipe with her left hand.
The captain seemed to anticipate this move, and instead let go of his sword. He knew he could not compete with the girl's strength, but he might yet outmaneuver her. Ducking low he attempted to hit with a strong punch to her exposed solar plexus.
Bianca felt the wind leave her body as the punch connected, and immediately pain flowed through her. The old man was tougher than most, and his punches packed a whole lot of power behind them. She made a reckless attempt to swing at his head again, but he only reflected her strike. At the same time, he managed to wrestle his sword from her grip with a palm strike to her shoulder as he closed the distance. Once his weapon was back in his possession he moved back a few paces.
Bianca let out a few heavy breaths. She hadn't faced a serious opponent in this form before. Captain Leon was putting her up against the ropes at this rate, but she couldn't let him win. With a ferocious growl she made a move to the man's left, but disappeared as she did so. Her speed in this form was extremely impressive, but making such shifts left her drained of energy. With the risky move made she seemingly appeared on his right side and landed a devastating punch into his ribs.
Captain Leon was surprised by the speed, but more surprised by the pain. It had been a long time since he had taken a hit, and his opponent had the strength of a fighter far more experienced than herself. He attempted to twist his sword to stab at her, but his strike only hit air. The girl had disappeared yet again.
This time, she appeared in front of him, and took advantage of his exposed form to unleash a double palm strike into his chest. The impact was heavy, quite unexpectedly so.
"Double Paw Hammer!" Bianca shouted.
The attack pushed the captain back quite a few feet, and when he managed to find his stability again he could feel the pain welling up in his body. The girl was tougher than he imagined, and he had very little doubt she could win this fight if he did not try harder.
"Well done." He said. "You've come farther than any pirate before you."
Bianca smirked.
"But the battle isn't over yet." He finished.
The captain proceeded to sheathe his sword, but maintained a hold on the grip. Bianca took a half step back and held up her arms in order to defend herself. Captain Leon narrowed his eyes, and in an instant he was inches away from Bianca. His speed was incalculable, and even Bianca could not keep up. In an instant he had appeared behind her with his sword drawn, and as he sheathed it he spoke.
"Shimmering Lion."
As the hilt hit the sheath a large gash appeared on Bianca's chest. She cried out in pain and dropped to one knee. She had never seen such speed before, and the power behind the strike had not been lessened by it. She turned her head to look at the old man. She couldn't understand how he had performed such a feat.
"You fought well. But with an injury like that you cannot continue on." Captain Leon said.
Bianca grunted and tried to stand up, but found the pain too great. Alphyne started to take a few steps forward, but Bianca held out her hand. She would not let another fall alongside her if she could prevent it.
"Get up." She muttered to herself.
Again and again she made this mantra known until she could feel it in her core. She reminded herself that she had come too far to fall now, and that like any test she would pass this one. Defeat was not something she would experience today, and she refused to give in to this pain. She would become someone, and experience things no one had ever seen before. She would travel the seas with her crew, and she would make her mark on the world. She would not give in to this man no matter how nice he was.
Through the agony screaming in her muscles she stood, and she faced her for once more with a confident smile.
"Why don't you try that again, old man?" She said, defiantly.
Captain Leon readied himself, but he was saddened to some extent. He had no wish to kill this girl, but there was no way she would survive another strike. However, if he let her go he would be removed from the marines and made a criminal himself. The situation was stacked against him.
As before, he made his move. The world felt still around him as he approached, but there was something different this time.
"Ragnarok Howl!"
All of the sudden a shockwave hit the captain like a sea train. His body flew back against his own momentum, and he collided with the manor behind him. He could hear the howling of a wolf nearby, but his hearing was so shaken that he was unsure if it was real. Pain shot through him, and he found himself too beaten to even move save for his head. He managed to look up from the ground and saw that his men had been thrown back as well, and the fishwoman too. Only Bianca remained unaffected. She was breathing heavily, and had reverted back to her human state.
She approached the captain slowly, clutching her chest to halt the bleeding. He knew she had beaten him, and wondered if this was where she would show a side of herself she had not before. Would she kill him simply to gain infamy? He could not tell, and simply waited.
When she finally stood at his side she looked down upon him. The captain looked up, holding onto consciousness despite his injuries. Bianca held herself back to keep her blood from dripping onto him.
"I'm impressed, captain." She said. "You forced me to use my trump card."
The captain smiled faintly, "Did I? Then I suppose these old bones are worth something still."
Bianca nodded, and spoke again. "I haven't even begun to get to the level you're at, if it weren't for my devil fruit you probably would have beaten me. I thank you for teaching me more about how to fight. Thanks to you, I'll be able to protect my crew when I meet them."
Captain Leon laughed, but had a coughing fit in response.
"There are more powerful people than me just in this sea, Ms. Bianca. You realize this, yes?" He wheezed.
"Of course, and I'll get stronger by fighting them too." She replied as if it were only normal.
The captain was floored. He had not seen such determination since his youth, and to find it in a pirate of all people was unexpected. Yet, he found himself smiling. This girl was far different from anyone he knew, for she was a part of the next generation, and the old could hardly comprehend the young.
"I suppose you will." He said.
Bianca helped the old man up despite her own struggles, and carefully walked him over to his men who were beginning to recover. The marines took their commander quickly, and were ready to arm themselves for another battle, but Captain Leon stopped them.
"That's enough, men. Both parties are out of stamina, and it would be foolish to start another fight." He said.
"But sir," One marine responded. "They attacked a noble."
"Indeed they did." The captain replied. "But we have wounded to tend to, and I doubt any of you are ready to fight them. Collect the injured and return to base, that's an order."
The marines were clearly relieved despite their comments, and quickly gathered those who were hurt. Bianca watched them march off, and at once she knew the old man had saved her life. He could have easily called for reinforcements to wipe his targets of the map, but he had spared her.
"I'll repay this to you one day, old man!" She called, ignoring the pain from shouting.
She saw a hand go up among the retreating marines, a thumbs up from the old man. She smiled widely, she had made a friend.
